Astell&Kern AK380

[shigzeo]

  Louis,
 
Wow harsh words!  This could be an apples to oranges comparison but please provide us with a list of" DAC's at a similar or even lower price than the AK380" that you personally own that you feel sound better in the desktop space?
 
-Speed 

It's equally unfair to suggest that DAC A and DAC B should be compared by feeling. Person A and B could 'feel' that DAC A sounds better, when in fact, it tests worse in every single category. It may sound better to a person, but that doesn't mean it is better. 
 
We get hung up too much on ridiculous personal feelings in this hobby and there aren't enough checks and balances. That said, when spitting signal to outboard equipment, AK380 tests nearly flawlessly and in my stable of DACs, it is the best I've used. 
 
Whether that best equates what 'sounds better' to you is another thing. 

 

[Saraugie]

 
It's equally unfair to suggest that DAC A and DAC B should be compared by feeling. Person A and B could 'feel' that DAC A sounds better, when in fact, it tests worse in every single category. It may sound better to a person, but that doesn't mean it is better. 
 
We get hung up too much on ridiculous personal feelings in this hobby and there aren't enough checks and balances. That said, when spitting signal to outboard equipment, AK380 tests nearly flawlessly and in my stable of DACs, it is the best I've used. 
 
Whether that best equates what 'sounds better' to you is another thing. 

I just have to say, based on this post I thought you did not rate it very well. Is it only with low impedance IEMs?  Sorry for the confusion.

 

[shigzeo]

 
I just have to say, based on this post I thought you did not rate it very well. Is it only with low impedance IEMs?  Sorry for the confusion.

Overall, very good performance, but not perfect. Unloaded, or driving high ohm cans, very good, but its performance also heavily depends on the volume at which you play it back. This is true of all audio equipment. Unless you are listening to +110dB levels, you won't get true 24-bit performance out of any 24-bit capable player. It's the nature of the format's spec. 
 
That said, if we were to rate everything against theoretical performance, the AK380 is amazing unloaded. Loaded, it is a mixed back. Sometimes, it is tip top, sometimes, it fails catastrophically. Overall, it has a place and reasonably, it is good. But it is by no means 'ultimate' and therefore, fails its target.
 
As for power, it has it. I've not finished testing, but I'd say it can spit another 15dB over and above the iPhone 4 or 5, meaning it gets loud; and with current-low headphones, it spits good signal into that volume level. It is powerful. But it has a sweet spot, and that sweet spot isn't low-Ω earphones or headphones. 

 

[goodvibes]

It will be like other AKs in terms of impedance vs frequency response. plays most things fine. I wonder what the amp attachment output is like. Not all top DAPs drop bit depth at lower volumes. Some have digitally controlled analog volume sections or simply mechanical controls. PAW, HM901, QP1 etc. Even digital controls can be configured to be effectively bit correct at any Volume that it would matter but for 24 bit material, you'd want 40 bit float. I don't know what AK is using here but they've typically been dig domain.

 

[shigzeo]

  It will be like other AKs in terms of impedance vs frequency response. plays most things fine. I wonder what the amp attachment output is like. Not all top DAPs drop bit depth at lower volumes. Some have digitally controlled analog volume sections or simply mechanical controls. PAW, HM901, QP1 etc. Even digital controls can be configured to be effectively bit correct at any Volume that it would matter but for 24 bit material, you'd want 40 bit float. I don't know what AK is using here but they've typically been dig domain.

It's a bit lower level than that: in order for 24-bit music to render its full dynamic range, it needs to surpass 16-bit loudness, which is 96dB. That is very loud. Most people don't listen that loud. You can amp beyond that, but the original 24-bit file, assuming it even has a dynamic range of over 110dB (I imagine very few even do), it still has to be played loud enough for that information to to pump through at that spec. Lowering the volume to listenable levels lowers dynamic range and the ratio of noise to signal. But I've seen better handling than the AK380 in amps. 
 
Still, it's a very interesting device, and truly impressive when feeding outboard gear. 

EDIT: outboard, not outbound.

 

[goodvibes]

I have some issue with low level tracking, distortion etc on 16 bit and it's timing in general doesn't appeal to me for a few reasons. Timing isn't as affected by volume but that's not what the post is about.
 
That post was simply stating a technical aspect that to maintain 24 bit depth you need 40 bit float in the digital domain V control to be able to turn it down 96db from full up and not drop bits. The rest is a different discussion probably not for here. As a matter of principle, I'd like 24 bit players maintain their bit depth in actual use. The AK380 may. I don't know. We know that the others I mentioned will. That said, whatever sounds better is better regardless of how they do it.

 

[shigzeo]

  I have some issue with low level tracking, distortion etc on 16 bit and it's timing in general doesn't appeal to me for a few reasons but that's not what the post is about.
 
That post was simply stating a technical aspect that to maintain 24 bit depth you need 40 bit float in the digital domain V control to be able to turn it down 96db from full up and not drop bits. The rest is a different discussion probably not for here.

You are most assuredly correct.

 

[harmonix]

OK,

I have had my AK380 for about a month now and its time to post some impressions.

Before I had the AK380 I had an NW-ZX2 for 6 months, an AK240 for nearly two years and the AK120 before that, so yes, I like the A&K players.  

I have been listening at least 4 hours a day at least 4 days a week since I got it, so we're talking about 50-60 hours.

I have paired it with Beyerdynamic T5p's single ended, Shure SE846's and JH Audio Angies balanced.

Here are my conclusions:

Sound
I find the sound of the AK380 to be absolutely amazing.

When people say something sounds neutral, that implies that they know what the recording should be like - I am not sure I do always know what was intended, but it seems very clear to my ears that the AK380 is trying as hard a possible to paint an accurate picture of a piece of music. In fact it is this 'rendering' analogy that I keep coming back to - its like upgrading a graphics card and the image you see in a game being that much clearer and refined. 

As I have said before, the bass coming out of the AK380 is the finest I have ever heard. When paired with the SE846's I get a sound like a massive Krell amp in my ears - astounding - a lot of fun. When paired with the T5p's or Angies the sound is more balanced, but the bass is still so incredibly detailed.

For me, the mids are just right. Neither too forward nor back for my tastes. Smooth and sweet. Again which earphones you use changes the experience, but for me it has never been bad. Probably the Angies sounded best with the mids.

The highs go very high and this allows HD music to really sound startling. Cymbals and reverb and all the noises in the top register provide an amazing level of micro detail.

Micro-detail
I think that the AK380 renders everything that is stored in the file that you are playing and so all the detail in there is revealed. I have heard things I have not heard before in the music I have been listening to for years - yes, very surprising - the background sounds from the studio are discernable!

In between tracks the AK380 is as silent as I can imagine - even with the incredibly sensitive Angies there is no hiss.

Sound-stage
The sound-stage is as wide as you earphones will go.

UI
I personally believe that the A&K player UI is the best out there. The only one that came close for me was the NW-ZX2, but the full android experience on that meant way to much clutter and bloat for me. I think A&K have achieved just the right amount of functionality.

AK Connect
This has the potential to be huge - it can even be used to stream music from one A&K device to another (240<->380 is possible). I think this could be a game changer.

Build Quality
Faultless - nuff said. The device is beautiful.


The Magic Word: Synergy
This word has been used on this thread recently and I believe it is key when you talk about the AK380. I honestly believe that the AK380 can provide a balanced sound across the whole audio spectrum, and can provide an accurate musical representation to whatever earphones you use. It is not going to be the bottleneck in your system. Therefore it ends up being the job of the earphones to deliver that sound to your ears.

The earphones you choose dictates what you hear. The AK380 has always sounded good with my three earphones, but they are all expensive. There is no point in buying an AK380 if you are not going to spend some decent money on the earphones you connect it to.

This leads to the perhaps the only pseudo-issue with the AK380 - it does not artificially flatter sound at all (say, like the NW-ZX2). So, if you have a bad recording with hard treble, it will sound like a harsh recording with bad treble. If you ave crap earphones, then you will hear crap. It is not the AK380 sounding crap, it is the music and/or earphones sounding crap.

Conclusion
To my ears the Ak380 is a definite improvement over the AK240 - The AK240 also sounds amazing, but the AK380 sounds more mature and larger, and the bass - oh the bass!!! On a side note, It makes the NW-ZX2 sound like it renders music through mud.

The unit does get warm if you listen to it continuously, and once it is warmed up is sounds even better.

On top of that we have the amp coming out soon - What is that going to sound like.



My only problem now is that I now have to decide which earphones to keep. The JH Audio Angies sound beautiful when paired, with bass at about 3pm. The SE846's are like a party in the head - the subwoofer is really used by the AK380 as it outputs well rendered bass even down there (see my earlier comments about Yulunga by Dead can Dance). The T5p's are probably the most spacious sound, but they are not portable so I only listen to them in my office at home. Decisions, decisions, wish I could afford K10's and Layla's as well. The AK380 makes me want to go to the next level because I know thats where it belongs.


If you can afford it and understand the fact that it will lose value at some point (something that some people seem to not understand) then I highly recommend it. It is a solid foundation in your portable sound system. BTW it is still available in the UK Ebay store at a price that is lower than some shops are selling the AK240 for - look and confirm that there is no import duty before buying.


Happy listening, and hopefully see some of you in London next Sunday.

Through mud? That puts the whole review into question with that one phrase.

 

[b0ssMax]

This is awesome with the v8's.

 

[piercer]

Through mud? That puts the whole review into question with that one phrase.

 
its an analogy - I really liked the sound of the NW-ZX2 - especially its warm valve-like sound. I had one for about 6 months. Then when I switched back to the AK240 for a while I realised that some of the warmth was actually a softness in the detail. Then when I got the Ak380 and switched between all three of them the NW-ZX2 sounded muddy compared. Hence my description.

 

[shigzeo]

Through mud? That puts the whole review into question with that one phrase.

More than excessive. 

 

[shigzeo]

This is awesome with the v8's.

What's the V8's, precious?

 

[b0ssMax]

What's the V8's, precious?

1964ears v8 universals.

@piercer, your comparison b/w zx2 and ak240 is spot on with my own findings. Im still keeping the zx2 due to its battery life for on the go and trips. Now on the 380 as well. I did a side by side a month ago b/w ak240 and ak380 and for me the incremental change to the 380 was worth it (my dealer gave me a deal I couldn't pass up).

 

[Ike1985]

  It will be like other AKs in terms of impedance vs frequency response. plays most things fine. I wonder what the amp attachment output is like. Not all top DAPs drop bit depth at lower volumes. Some have digitally controlled analog volume sections or simply mechanical controls. PAW, HM901, QP1 etc. Even digital controls can be configured to be effectively bit correct at any Volume that it would matter but for 24 bit material, you'd want 40 bit float. I don't know what AK is using here but they've typically been dig domain.

 
Does the ZX2 have this? I listen at very low volumes (using ADEL tech).

 

[Ike1985]

 
Overall, very good performance, but not perfect. Unloaded, or driving high ohm cans, very good, but its performance also heavily depends on the volume at which you play it back. This is true of all audio equipment. Unless you are listening to +110dB levels, you won't get true 24-bit performance out of any 24-bit capable player. It's the nature of the format's spec. 
 
That said, if we were to rate everything against theoretical performance, the AK380 is amazing unloaded. Loaded, it is a mixed back. Sometimes, it is tip top, sometimes, it fails catastrophically. Overall, it has a place and reasonably, it is good. But it is by no means 'ultimate' and therefore, fails its target.
 
As for power, it has it. I've not finished testing, but I'd say it can spit another 15dB over and above the iPhone 4 or 5, meaning it gets loud; and with current-low headphones, it spits good signal into that volume level. It is powerful. But it has a sweet spot, and that sweet spot isn't low-Ω earphones or headphones. 

 
110db is very high, I listen about a 1/6th of the way up my slider (I phone 5, ADEL tech CIEMs with 16Ω).  Why won't you get true performance unless listening at very loud levels?  The whole reason I bought ADELs was so that I don't have to listen loud and not have fatigue-which I have none now and it is very noticeable.